Italy women's national football team

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Italy
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Le Azzurre
(The Blues)
AssociationItalian Football Federation
(FIGC)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachMilena Bertolini
CaptainSara Gama
Most capsPatrizia Panico (196)
Top scorerPatrizia Panico
Elisabetta Vignotto (107)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeITA
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 14 Steady (20 August 2021)[1]
Highest10 (July 2003)
Lowest19 (March 2017)
First international
 Italy 2–1 Czechoslovakia 
(Viareggio, Italy, 23 February 1968)
Biggest win
 Italy 15–0 Macedonia 
(Vercelli, Italy, 17 September 2014)
Biggest defeat
 Denmark 6–0 Italy 
(Ringsted, Denmark, 16 May 1982)
 Italy 0–6 Switzerland  
(Larnaca, Cyprus, 6 March 2017)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1991)
Best resultQuarter-finals (1991, 2019)
European Championship
Appearances11 (first in 1984)
Best resultRunners-up (1993, 1997)

The Italy women's national football team (Italian: Nazionale di calcio femminile dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international women's football since their inception in 1968. The team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing body for football in Italy.

Formed in 1968, Italy took part in various unofficial international tournaments, hosting the first unofficial European Competition in 1969 and World Cup in 1970. Italy qualified for both the first World Cup in 1991, where they reached the quarter-finals, and the first European Championship. While Italy were runners-up in the European Championship in 1993 and 1997, they are yet to replicate similar success at the World Cup. In 2019, after a 20-year drought, Italy qualified for the World Cup where they equaled their previous best performance, reaching the quarter-finals.

History[]

1968–1984: Early history and unofficial tournaments[]

The women's national team played its first game on 23 February 1968, in Viareggio against Czechoslovakia. However, the national team was not yet part of the Italian Women's Football Federation, which was founded on 11 March in Viareggio. From the beginning, they took part in various continental and international tournaments in Europe and in the world, also achieving good successes. With the birth of the European Competition for Women's Football (1984), organized by UEFA, and later the Women's World Cup, organized by FIFA, the highest international women's competitions became equivalent to the men's competitions.

After its debut in 1968, the Italy national team took to the field to compete in other non-official international friendlies and tournaments, such as the European Competition in 1969 that saw it win the final over Denmark,[2] the World Cup in 1970 that saw it lose the final against the aforementioned Danish national team,[3] competitions both organized in Italy, and the Mundial in Mexico in 1971 where they achieved third place.[4] In 1979, Italy hosted, and participated in the unofficial European Competition, reaching the final again, which took place at the San Paolo Stadium in Naples, and in which Denmark triumphed again.[5] Between 1981 and 1988 there were five editions of the Mundialito, an international invitation-only tournament, one of the most prestigious events in the women's football scene before the advent of the World Cup. Apart from the first edition in 1981 that was organized in Japan, the next four were organized in Italy, where the Italy national team obtained three victories and two second places overall.[6] The triumphs arrived in 1981, winning the group, in 1984 overcoming West Germany in the final and in 1984 overcoming the United States in the final, while in the other two editions it lost the final against England.

1984–1991: First World Cup and European Championship[]

In 1984, UEFA organized the first European Competition. Italy won Group 3 of the qualifiers, being one of four teams to qualify for the final round.[7] Italy faced Sweden, being defeated both in the first leg, played at the Flaminio Stadium in Rome in front of 10,000 spectators, and in the return match in Linköping.[7] In 1987, Italy again gained access to the European Competition, winning Group 4 of the qualifiers. In the final stage organized in Norway, Italy were defeated in the semi-final against the host nation, but achieved third place by defeating England, with goals by Carolina Morace and Elisabetta Vignotto.[8] Italy were also confirmed in the 1989 edition, having passed the qualifying phase with a play-off win against France. Italy finished fourth in the tournament, having lost the semi-final against West Germany after a penalty shoot-out, as well as in the third place match against Sweden after extra time.[9]

In the 1991 European Championship, Italy was once again admitted to the four-team finals, after having won the qualifying play-off against the Sweden.[10] In the final tournament, Italy repeated what had happened two years before, losing both the semi-final against the German hosts and the final for third place against Denmark, although even with the fourth-place finish, gained access to the first edition of the World Cup organized by FIFA in the same year.[10] The world championship was organized in China, as Italy was drawn into Group 3 together with Germany, Chinese Taipei and Nigeria.[11] Italy ended the group in second place with two victories against Taipei and Nigeria and a defeat against Germany; all four goals for the team came from Carolina Morace. Italy advanced to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated by Norway 3-2 after extra time.[11]

1993–1999: Twice European Championship runners-up[]

The 1993 European Championship was hosted in Italy.[12] After defeating England in the final play-off match, Italy overcame Germany in the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out. In the final, played at the Manuzzi Stadium in Cesena, Italy was defeated 1–0 by Norway.[12] Norway also denied Italy a place at the 1995 European Championship, with a 7–3 aggregate loss in the qualifying play-offs. Consequently, Italy also didn't qualify for the 1995 World Cup.

Italy participated in the 1997 European Championship, with the number of teams participating in the competition increasing from four to eight. In Group B, Italy defeated Norway and drew against Denmark and Germany, still achieving first in the group advancing to the knockout stage.[13] In the semi-final Italy beat Spain 2–1, but in the final, were defeated 2–0 by Germany.[13] In 1998, Italy qualified for the World Championship for the second time. The 1999 edition took place in the United States, with Italy being drawn in Group B along with Brazil, Germany and Mexico. After a 1–1 draw against Germany in the debut match, Italy lost 2–0 to Brazil, and ended the group with a 2–0 victory over Mexico; Italy finishing third in the group and were eliminated.[14]

2000–2011: Decline[]

With the beginning of the 2000s, a decline in the performance of the Italy national team began. At the 2001 European Championship, Italy, coached by Carolina Morace, were eliminated in the group stage due to a worse goal difference compared to Norway.[15]

Four years later, at the 2005 European Championship, Italy finished last in its group with zero points, losing all three of their matches against Germany, Norway and France, conceding twelve goals overall.[16] Redemption came in the 2009 edition, with Italy defeating both England and Russia, advancing to the knock-out stage as second-placed in the group behind Sweden who had defeated them. In the quarter-finals, Italy faced Germany, where they lost 2–1; Germany would ultimately win their seventh continental title.[17]

Having failed to qualify for the 2003 and 2007 editions of the World Cup, Italy also failed to qualify for the 2011 edition in the intercontinental two-legged play-off between UEFA and CONCACAF. The United States won the first leg 1–0 in Padua with a goal by Alex Morgan in the fourth minute of added time, while they also won the second leg by a score of 1–0 in Bridgeview with a goal by Amy Rodriguez in the first half.[18]

2011–2017: Slim World Cup qualification miss[]

Italy qualified for the 2013 European Championship in Sweden by winning the qualifying group with nine victories out of ten matches. At the tournament, Italy was drawn in Group A with hosts Sweden, Denmark and Finland. With one win, one draw and one defeat, Italy advanced from the group stage to the quarter-finals in second place, but were defeated 1–0 by Germany.[19]

In the following two years, Italy, led by Antonio Cabrini, was involved in the qualification for the 2015 World Championship: despite eight victories out of ten games, including two record victories against Macedonia (11–0 and 15–0),[20] they finished in second place in Group 2 behind Spain, sending Italy to the play-offs. In the first round of the play-offs, Italy defeated Ukraine 4–3 on aggregate, but were defeated by the Netherlands 3–2 on aggregate in the final round of the play-offs.

Italy qualified for the 2017 European Championship second in its group behind Switzerland. At the European Championship, Italy finished in last place in Group B behind Germany, Sweden and Russia, despite the victory in the third game against Sweden.[21]

2017–present: First World Cup qualification in 20 years[]

Italy during 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup match against Australia.

On 8 June 2018, twenty years since their last participation, Italy qualified for the 2019 FIFA World Cup, winning its qualifying group with a game in hand.[22] In the group stage of the tournament, Italy won Group C, recording two victories against Australia (2–1) and Jamaica (5–0), which guaranteed advancement to the knockout stage, with Italy's defeat to Brazil (0–1) irrelevant to the final table. In the round of 16, Italy won 2–0 over China, advancing to the quarter-finals for the second time in their history.[23] However, with a 2–0 defeat to European Champions the Netherlands, Italy's World Cup journey came to an end on 29 June 2019.[24]

Results and fixtures[]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2020[]

22 September UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying Bosnia and Herzegovina  0–5  Italy Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Report
(UEFA)
  • Galli Goal 19'
  • Girelli Goal 40'56' (p)65' (p)
  • Linari Goal 88'
Stadium: Bosnia and Herzegovina FA Training Centre
Referee: (Portugal)
27 October UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying Italy  1–3  Denmark Empoli, Italy
Report
(UEFA)
Stadium: Stadio Carlo Castellani
Referee: Cheryl Foster (Wales)
1 December UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying Denmark  0–0  Italy Viborg, Denmark
17:15 Report
(UEFA)
Stadium: Viborg Stadium

2021[]

24 February UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying Italy  12–0  Israel Florence, Italy
17:30
Report
(UEFA)
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)
10 April International friendly Italy  1–0  Iceland Coverciano, Italy
16:00
Report
(Soccerway)
Stadium: Centro Tecnico Federale
Attendance: 0
13 April International friendly Italy  1–1  Iceland Coverciano, Italy
Report
(Soccerway)
Stadium: Centro Tecnico Federale
10 June International friendly Italy  1–0  Netherlands Ferrara, Italy
17:30
  • Girelli Goal 14' (pen.)
Report Stadium: Stadio Paolo Mazza
Referee: Monika Mularczyk (Poland)
14 June International friendly Austria  2–3  Italy Wiener Neustadt, Austria
16:30
Report
  • Soffia Goal 3'53'
  • Linari Goal 76' (pen.)
Stadium: Wiener Neustadt Arena
Referee: Riem Hussein (Germany)
17 September 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G Italy  v  Moldova Trieste, Italy
17:30 Report
(UEFA)
Stadium: Stadio Nereo Rocco

2022[]

Managerial history[]

Year(s) Manager
1969–1971  [it]
1972–1978 Amedeo Amadei
1979–1981 Sergio Guenza
1981–1982 Paolo Todeschini
1982–1984 Enzo Benedetti
1984–1989  [it]
1989–1993 Sergio Guenza
1993–1995 Comunardo Niccolai
1995–1997 Sergio Guenza
1997–1998 Sergio Vatta
1999 Carlo Facchin
1999–2000  [it]
2000–2005 Carolina Morace
2005–2012 Pietro Ghedin
2012–2017 Antonio Cabrini
2017–present Milena Bertolini

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the UEFA Euro 2021 qualifying match against Israel on 24 February 2021.[25]
Caps, goals and player numbers are correct as of 24 February 2021, after the match against Israel.[26]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK (2000-11-22) 22 November 2000 (age 20) 0 0 Italy Inter Milan
1GK Francesca Durante (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 24) 0 0 Italy Hellas Verona
1GK Laura Giuliani (1993-06-06) 6 June 1993 (age 28) 45 0 Italy
1GK Katja Schroffenegger (1991-04-28) 28 April 1991 (age 30) 6 0 Italy Fiorentina

2DF Elisa Bartoli (1991-05-07) 7 May 1991 (age 30) 53 3 Italy Roma
2DF Lisa Boattin (1997-05-03) 3 May 1997 (age 24) 19 0 Italy Juventus
2DF Lucia Di Guglielmo (1997-06-26) 26 June 1997 (age 24) 0 0 Italy Empoli
2DF Sara Gama (1989-03-27) 27 March 1989 (age 32) 101 5 Italy Juventus
2DF Laura Fusetti (1990-10-08) 8 October 1990 (age 30) 7 0 Italy Milan
2DF Martina Lenzini (1998-07-23) 23 July 1998 (age 23) 1 0 Italy Sassuolo
2DF Elena Linari (1994-04-15) 15 April 1994 (age 27) 45 3 Italy Roma
2DF Cecilia Salvai (1993-12-02) 2 December 1993 (age 27) 28 1 Italy Juventus
2DF Linda Tucceri Cimini (1991-04-04) 4 April 1991 (age 30) 9 1 Italy Milan
2DF Martina Zanoli (2002-02-27) 27 February 2002 (age 19) 0 0 Italy Fiorentina

3MF Valentina Bergamaschi (1997-01-22) 22 January 1997 (age 24) 24 2 Italy Milan
3MF Arianna Caruso (1999-11-06) 6 November 1999 (age 21) 5 0 Italy Juventus
3MF Valentina Cernoia (1991-06-22) 22 June 1991 (age 30) 47 9 Italy Juventus
3MF Manuela Giugliano (1997-08-18) 18 August 1997 (age 24) 35 3 Italy Roma
3MF Cecilia Prugna (1997-11-07) 7 November 1997 (age 23) 0 0 Italy Empoli
3MF Martina Rosucci (1992-05-09) 9 May 1992 (age 29) 43 3 Italy Juventus
3MF Annamaria Serturini (1998-05-13) 13 May 1998 (age 23) 8 1 Italy Roma

4FW Barbara Bonansea (1991-06-13) 13 June 1991 (age 30) 69 26 Italy Juventus
4FW Sofia Cantore (1999-09-30) 30 September 1999 (age 21) 1 0 Italy Florentia San Gimignano
4FW Valentina Giacinti (1994-01-02) 2 January 1994 (age 27) 26 8 Italy Milan
4FW Cristiana Girelli (1990-04-23) 23 April 1990 (age 31) 65 33 Italy Juventus
4FW Benedetta Glionna (1999-07-26) 26 July 1999 (age 22) 5 0 Italy Empoli
4FW Daniela Sabatino (1985-06-26) 26 June 1985 (age 36) 45 27 Italy Fiorentina
4FW Stefania Tarenzi (1988-02-29) 29 February 1988 (age 33) 14 2 Italy Internazionale

Recent call ups[]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

DF Alice Tortelli (1998-01-22) 22 January 1998 (age 23) 1 0 Italy Fiorentina v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 September 2020

MF Aurora Galli (1996-12-13) 13 December 1996 (age 24) 36 7 Italy Juventus v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 September 2020
MF Marta Mascarello (1998-10-15) 15 October 1998 (age 22) 3 0 Italy Fiorentina v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 September 2020

FW Elisa Polli (2000-08-27) 27 August 2000 (age 21) 0 0 Italy Empoli v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 September 2020

Competitive record[]

Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
FIFA Women's World Cup 0 0 0 0
Olympic Games 0 0 0 0
UEFA Women's Championship 0 2 1 3
Mediterranean Games 0 0 0 0
Universiade 0 0 0 0
Total 0 2 1 3

FIFA Women's World Cup[]

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
China 1991 Quarter-finals 6th of 12 4 2 0 2 8 5
Sweden 1995 Did not qualify
United States 1999 Group stage 9th of 16 3 1 1 1 3 3
United States 2003 Did not qualify
China 2007
Germany 2011
Canada 2015
France 2019 Quarter-finals 7th 5 3 0 2 9 4
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023 To be determined
Total Best: quarter-finals 3/9 12 6 1 5 20 12
* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Championship[]

UEFA Women's Championship record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Europe 1984 Semi-finals n/a 2 0 0 2 3 5
Norway 1987 Third place 3rd of 4 2 1 0 1 2 3
West Germany 1989 Fourth place 4th of 4 2 0 1 1 2 3
Denmark 1991 Fourth place 4th of 4 2 0 0 2 1 5
Italy 1993 Runners-up 2nd of 4 2 0 1 1 1 2
Germany 1995 Did not qualify
NorwaySweden 1997 Runners-up 2nd of 8 5 2 2 1 7 6
Germany 2001 Group stage n/a 3 1 1 1 3 4
England 2005 Group stage n/a 3 0 0 3 4 12
Finland 2009 Quarter-finals n/a 4 2 0 2 5 5
Sweden 2013 Quarter-finals n/a 4 1 1 2 3 5
Netherlands 2017 Group stage n/a 3 1 0 2 5 6
England 2022 Qualified
Total Best: runners-up 11/12 32 8 6 18 36 56
* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

All-time records[]

Head-to-head record[]

Key
  Positive balance (more wins than losses)
  Neutral balance (as many wins as losses)
  Negative balance (more losses than wins)

The following table shows Italy's all-time official international record per opponent:

Last updated: Italy vs Netherlands, 29 June 2019. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.[27]

FIFA rankings[]

Below is a chart of Italy's FIFA ranking from 2003 to the present.[28]

Top scorers[]

# Player Period Goals Caps Average
1 Elisabetta Vignotto 1970–1989 97 95 1.02
2 Carolina Morace 1978–2001 95 136 0.7
3 Cristiana Girelli 2011– 36 67 0.54
4 Patrizia Panico 1996–2014 35 83 0.42
5 Antonella Carta 1984–1999 30 110 0.27
6 1976–1987 29 41 0.71
7 Melania Gabbiadini 2011–2017 26 56 0.46
8 Daniela Sabatino 2011– 25 61 0.41
9 Barbara Bonansea 2012– 23 63 0.37
10 1970–1976 19 29 0.66

As of 7 March 2020.[27] Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Coppa Europa per Nazioni (Women) 1969". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Coppa del Mondo (Women) 1970". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Mundial (Women) 1971". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Inofficial European Women Championship 1979". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Mundialito (Women) 1981-1988". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b uefa.com (14 July 1991). "Europeo femminile 1991 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  8. ^ uefa.com (14 March 1987). "Europeo femminile 1987 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  9. ^ uefa.com (2 July 1989). "Europeo femminile 1989 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b uefa.com (14 July 1991). "Europeo femminile 1991 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Women's World Cup 1991 (China)". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b uefa.com (4 July 1993). "Europeo femminile 1993 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b uefa.com (12 July 1997). "Europeo femminile 1997 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Women's World Cup 1999 (USA)". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  15. ^ uefa.com (7 July 2001). "Europeo femminile 2001 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  16. ^ uefa.com (19 June 2005). "Europeo femminile 2005 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  17. ^ uefa.com (10 September 2009). "Europeo femminile 2009 - Storia". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  18. ^ Longman, Jeré (27 November 2010). "U.S. Tops Italy to Earn Spot in Women's World Cup". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  19. ^ uefa.com (1 August 2013). "UEFA Women's EURO 2013 - History". UEFA.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Italdonne, il "Piola" porta fortuna: travolta la Macedonia". LaStampa.it (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  21. ^ uefa.com (6 August 2017). "UEFA Women's EURO 2017 - History". UEFA.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Trionfo Italia femminile, va al Mondiale: Portogallo battuto 3-0". Repubblica.it (in Italian). 8 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Italia, sei bellissima: 2-0 alla Cina e quarti di finale". La Gazzetta dello Sport - Tutto il rosa della vita (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  24. ^ Bull, J. J. (29 June 2019). "Holland reach first ever Women's World Cup semi-final with two headed goals against Italy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  25. ^ "Con Israele in palio la qualificazione diretta all'Europeo. Bertolini: "E' arrivato il momento di accelerare"" (in Italian). Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Classifica Presenze". FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b "Statistiche Gare" (in Italian). figc.it.
  28. ^ FIFA.com. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Italy - Women's". FIFA.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.

External links[]

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